The following correction was printed in the Observer's For the record column, Sunday 16 August 2009

A trip to Trakai Castle in Lithuania was suggested as "an excellent excursion from Riga" in response to a letter below, but it is about half an hour by bus from Vilnius, the capital city. Riga is the capital of Latvia.

Letter of the weekQ I am hoping to visit the three Baltic capitals, Tallinn, Riga and Vilnius. I'm planning about three nights in each city and would like to take a day trip into the countryside from each. Holiday companies who offer this trip are quite expensive and I would like to organise it myself. What is the easiest way to travel from each city and can I book tickets online? Kate Parkinson, by email

A This trip is very straightforward to plan independently. Starting in Tallinn and finishing in Vilnius or vice versa makes the most sense as you can arrange to take one-way flights at low cost. Easyjet links Stansted with Tallinn, while Aer Lingus flies from Vilnius to Gatwick. Bus travel between the main Baltic cities compares well with anywhere in Europe, with services offered by Eurolines (eurolines.ee) and Ecolines (ecolines.ee). There are usually a dozen or more services between principal cities so you should only need to book a day or so in advance, if at all.

Trakai Castle is an excellent excursion from Riga, for example, but you may enjoy stopping off between the big cities a little more. A linear journey south from Tallinn takes in Tartu, the cultural heart of Estonia, a stop in scenic Sigulda, gateway to Latvia's Gauja national park, before reaching Riga. South of here you can visit the beach resort of Jurmala and the Lithuanian port of Klaipeda, from where you can explore the Unesco-protected Curonian Spit before finishing in Vilnius.

Q I am visiting Paris for six nights with my girlfriend next month and we have set ourselves an €80 per night limit for a hotel. We are real culture vultures and love visiting museums, galleries and all the sights.

Where would you recommend we stay and do you know any nice restaurants to visit on a budget? Besides the obvious places such as Notre Dame and the Louvre, what are the other must-sees?Andrew Quinn, Derry

A Paris on a budget is not easy but it is possible. Hotel Connect (0845 230 8888; hotelconnect.co.uk) has some good deals, including the Prince Monceau Hotel Paris on rue Tarbe in the 17th arrondissement. This quiet two-star hotel costs £410 for six nights in September. Paris is a very walkable city and apart from a metro ride into the centre you should be able to explore on foot. You could try the Velib (velib.paris.fr) bicycle rental scheme which will only cost a few euros.

For eating, load up at lunch. Set menus (often advertised on blackboards as menu du jour) at brasseries remain excellent value and are often filling and tasty three-course affairs. Chains such as Bistro Romain, dotted around the city, offer good-value, no-nonsense fare. Street markets are a fun way to find budget food to eat on the move.

Some of the city's great views are free - as well as the famous outlook from Montmartre, those from Parc Belleville and the roof of the Galeries Lafayette department store are excellent and cost nothing. There's a comprehensive list of free museums and galleries at http://bit.ly/jmCc7.

Q I'm supposed to be meeting a friend in the Bay Islands, Honduras, next week. I will be travelling from Guatemala and he will be travelling from Nicaragua. Will this be feasible?Geoff Duggan, by email

A The Bay Islands would be a great place for a rendezvous. Located about 35 miles off the north coast of Honduras, the islands are home to the second-largest barrier reef in the world and draw in backpackers and divers. All of the islands are slightly more expensive than the mainland and of the three - Roatan, Guanaja and Utila - the latter offers the cheapest lodging and food. To reach any of the islands from the north or south you first need to get to La Ceiba, from which there are twice-daily ferries, which cost around £20 one-way.

The easiest bus links from Nicaragua go through the capital of Honduras, Tegucigalpa, while from Guatemala you can stop at the amazing Mayan ruins at Copán just inside the Honduran border. The adjoining town of Copán Ruinas is very pretty too, and boasts a bird sanctuary, coffee farm visits and horse riding.

Quite a few travellers also break the journey at San Pedro Sula, the economic engine room of Honduras and an interesting place to pause for a couple of days. It's about a three- or four-hour bus ride from there to La Ceiba. There's no reason not to make these journeys, but they will involve a fair amount of travel - the Honduran capital is seven hours from La Ceiba and a further nine hours from Managua in Nicaragua.

Q We have not been abroad for many years, and feel very out of touch. We are two young 70-year-olds going away for 12 days - half on Madeira self-catering, and half on Porto Santo B&B. How much should we budget on spending on food when we're there? We envisage one main meal a day, either lunch or dinner.

Also, would you advise that we take one case to combine both our luggage allowances (22kg each) or two separate cases? Rita Austin, by email

A Madeira and Porto Santo's living costs are roughly the same as the UK, so you should budget around €20 a head for lunch, €10 for a snack during the day or €30 for dinner including wine.

Funchal, Madeira's capital, has several supermarkets as well as smaller grocery stores where you can stock up on anything you might need, and also has a very good fresh produce and seafood market.

Regarding luggage, it's best to take two cases - most airports won't accept luggage that weighs more than 32kgs (70lb) and you would find it very difficult to move such a weighty bag.

Otherwise there's nothing to worry about in terms of a visit to these beautiful islands, which have a relaxed pace of life and lots to see and do, especially ornate botanical gardens and walks along flat levada (irrigation channel) paths. See madeiraislands.travel for more on Madeira and Porto Santo.